1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a touch panel.
2. Description of the Related Art
In accordance with the growth of computers using a digital technology, devices assisting computers have also been developed, and personal computers, portable transmitters and other personal information processors execute processing of text and graphics using a variety of input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse.
While the rapid advancement of an information-oriented society has been widening the use of computers more and more, it is difficult to efficiently operate products using only a keyboard and mouse currently serving as an input device. Therefore, the necessity for a device that is simple, has minimum malfunction, and is capable of easily inputting information has increased.
In addition, current techniques for input devices have progressed toward techniques related to high reliability, durability, innovation, designing and processing beyond the level of satisfying general functions. To this end, a touch panel has been developed as an input device capable of inputting information such as text, graphics, or the like.
This touch panel is mounted on a display surface of an image display device such as an electronic organizer, a flat panel display device including a liquid crystal display (LCD) device, a plasma display panel (PDP), an electroluminescence (El) element, or the like, and a cathode ray tube (CRT) to thereby be used to allow a user to select desired information while viewing the image display device.
Meanwhile, the touch panel is classified into a resistive type touch panel, a capacitive type touch panel, an electromagnetic type touch panel, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) type touch panel, and an infrared type touch panel. These various types of touch panels are adapted for electronic products in consideration of a signal amplification problem, a resolution difference, a level of difficulty of designing and processing technologies, optical characteristics, electrical characteristics, mechanical characteristics, resistance to an environment, input characteristics, durability, and economic efficiency. Currently, the resistive type touch panel and the capacitive type touch panel have been prominently used in a wide range of fields.
Meanwhile, in the touch panel, research into a technology of forming an electrode pattern using a metal as disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2010-0091497 has been actively conducted. As described above, when the electrode pattern is made of the metal, electric conductivity is excellent and demand and supply is smooth. However, in the case in which the electrode pattern is made of the metal, the electrode pattern should be formed in a mesh structure in a micrometer (μm) unit in order to prevent users from recognizing the electrode pattern. However, when the electrode pattern of the touch panel is formed in the mesh structure having regular and constant intervals, period characteristics of the electrode pattern of the touch panel and a black matrix pattern of a color filter included in an image display device (a liquid crystal display (LCD), or the like) are overlapped with each other, such that a moire phenomenon is generated, thereby deteriorating visibility.